Superintendent Libby Bonesteel visits classrooms to see what our educators and students are excited about learning in this video blog series!
A podcast dedicated to telling the story of the people who make the Montpelier Roxbury Public School District an amazing place to grow, learn, and work!
Thursday, March 13th, 2025
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Montpelier High School
Join us for fun fitness games and nutritious snacks. Get an inside look at the physical, social, and mental wellness learning at MHS.
The night will consist of opt-in fitness activities, as well as wellness stations where you can chat with students and educators working to improve social, physical, and mental wellness at MHS.
Open all families and learners across the district! Please RSVP by March 9th so we can plan for activities that are accessible for all attending.
As of the 2024-2025 school year, all MRPS elementary age students are educated at Union Elementary School. The Montpelier Roxbury Board of School Directors is now looking for input on the future use of Roxbury Village School.
The merger agreement of our district states that the district must use the building for educational purposes, and if the Board determines there isn't an educational use for the building within the district then the district must offer to sell the building to the town of Roxbury for $1 (the amount the district paid to Roxbury for the building in 2018).
After consideration of several possible educational uses (see the presentation from the October 2nd School Board meeting), the board has narrowed the options down to three and is looking for input from the community on which option to pursue further.
Parameters for consideration determined by the School Board on September 18th:
Consideration of financial implications, particularly concerning potential property tax increase
Use of building meets an unmet need of school district
Desires of Roxbury and Montpelier communities
MRPS retains ownership of the building for the foreseeable future and MRPS determines what educational programming (i.e. after school enrichment, flexible pathways) happens in the building. The yearly cost would be $60K - $250K depending on building use and programming.
MRPS retains ownership of the building for the foreseeable future and runs only the afterschool enrichment program there with options for community space rental. The yearly cost to tax payers would be approximately $0-$175K, depending on possible rental income.
MRPS offers the building to the town of Roxbury for $1 as stated in the merger agreement. At a minimum, MRPS builds in money to FY26 budget to cover maintenance costs allowing time for the transfer of ownership.
The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund is a federal formula grant managed by the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE). Non-recurring, emergency aid subgrants are being allocated by the AOE to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) by formula based on Title I, Part A allocations - Montpelier Roxbury School District is one of those LEAs. Funds are broken down into three parts: ESSER I, ESSER II, and ESSER III. These grants are considered one-time funds.
Title I, Part A is a Consolidated Federal Program with the purpose of providing all children a significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps. MRPS receives Title I funding each year.
Click the links to learn more about:
ESSER I, also known as Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) ESSER funds. MRPS allocation: $253,143
ESSER II, an expansion of CARES ESSER funds and with the addition of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRPSA) funds. MRPS allocation: $994,201
ESSER III, also known as the American Rescue Plan (ARP) ESSER funds. MRPS allocation: $2,230,394
This U.S. Department of Education Fact Sheet further describes ESSER funds and the difference between each type.
A major component of how MRPS will spend ARP ESSER (ESSER III) funds will depend on the feedback received on the APR ESSER (ESSER III) Public Plan built by the administrative team.
The administrative team will intentionally seek feedback from MRPS families of BIPOC students, students on IEPs, and English Language Learners (ELL).
2) Listen to Episode 7 of our ‘In the Schools’ Podcast hosted by Superintendent Libby Bonesteel. View this accompanying presentation as you listen!
3) Attend and make a public comment at an MRPS Board of School Directors Meeting.
4) Review the ARP ESSER (ESSER III) Public Plan.
5) Provide feedback on infrastructure ideas to MRPS Administrators using Thought Exchange. *closed November 19th, 2021 - review the report of feedback received.
6) Provide input on what you feel are the most important academic, social emotional, and mental health supports for schools to provide to serve all students using Thought Exchange. *closed December 17th, 2021 - review the report of feedback received.
7) Review the 1) ESSER III Themes presentation as presented at the March 2nd Board of School Directors meeting by Superintendent Libby Bonesteel (jump to minute 42:00 in the video linked below to watch the presentation) and 2) the ESSER 2 and 3 Calculations.
8) Provide feedback on the ESSER III / ARP ESSER Plan by Sunday, March 20th, 2022. *closed March 20th, 2022
Summer EBT is a program that helps families get groceries during the summer break when school meals aren't available.
Many families will automatically get Summer EBT benefits if they already get other benefits. But some might need to apply. If your family already gets benefits like 3SquaresVT, you'll be enrolled in the Summer EBT program.
If your family isn't automatically in but might be eligible, you can apply easily online when applications open in August.
Kids automatically get benefits if:
They're between 6 - 16 years old and get Medicaid with a qualifying family income, 3SquaresVT, or Reach Up; or,
They're younger than 6 or older than 16 years old, but attend a Vermont public school or an independent school that participates in the National School Lunch Program and live in a home that gets Medicaid with a qualifying family income, 3SquaresVT, or Reach Up.
Families that qualify will receive $120 per eligible child for healthy summer foods. Benefits can be used at qualified retailers like grocery stores, online retailers, and farmers' markets to buy healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, meats, whole grains, and dairy.
Contact DCF directly: 1-800-479-6151 (Option 7)
We started our ‘In the Schools’ podcast in 2021 and added a blog and a vlog in 2022! Visit our new blog, vlog, and podcast webpage to read, watch, or listen to all things MRPS!
In partnership with Hunger Free Vermont, Essex Westford School District will be distributing FREE 7-day meal boxes to Montpelier and Roxbury this summer. These meal boxes are available to families with children under the age of 18. No registration is required.
Pickup the free meal boxes this summer at:
Montpelier:
Where: Washington Family Center - 383 Sherwood Drive, Montpelier, VT
When: Mondays from 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, June 24th - August 12th
Roxbury:
Where: Roxbury Village School - 1559 Roxbury Road, Roxbury, VT
When: Wednesdays from 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, June 26th - August 14th
Boxes contain seven breakfasts and seven lunches and include foods like cereal, muffins, bagels, wraps, deli meats and cheese, nut butter, whole cucumbers, baby carrots, apples, raisins, and cantaloupe. Each box contains a gallon of milk.
Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools is searching for a new leader for Union Elementary School and we need your help!
Scroll down this page to learn more about the final two candidates as selected by the UES Principal Search Committee: a committee comprised of UES staff, MRPS administrators, and caregivers!
Attend the in person meet and greet and get to know the candidates during their interview day:
Monday, April 7th, 2025
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Union Elementary School Library
Are you unable to attend the interview day and want to share your thoughts? Reach out to Superintendent Libby Bonesteel: libbyb@mpsvt.org
These resources have been compiled by MRPS and will be updated as we learn more.
Please take a moment to read the latest letter from the Superintendent regarding where we are in the clean up effort at Montpelier High School.
If your family was impacted by the flood, please also take a quick moment to complete the Flood Impact Survey so that we can best support your student/s upon their return to school.
On 7/14/23 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Vermont and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding beginning on July 7, 2023, and continuing.
The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Chittenden, Lamoille, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor.
Any person who has experienced loss of property during this flood needs to report it to 211. You can do it online or on the phone by calling 211. We’ve been made aware of delays in the system but have been told this is an integral step to ensuring monetary relief in the future.
For families receiving 3SquaresVT benefits that have lost foods due to power outage, fire, flood, equipment breakdown, etc., the household must:
Call Economic Services and report the loss within 10 days of the loss.
Complete Form 271- Attestation of Loss and Request for Replacement of 3SquaresVT Benefits
Complete and sign the form
Provide contact information for someone who is able to verify the loss (for example, landlord, power company, Red Cross, fire department, municipality, or insurance company).
Return the form within 10 days of reporting the loss to ESD.
Customers who are eligible for replacement benefits can receive up to a maximum of one monthly allotment of their 3SquaresVT benefit. Pandemic EBT food benefits cannot be replaced. If the loss of food was due to a power outage, the power must have been out for at least four consecutive hours. The reported loss must be within 10 days of power restoration.
For families receiving WIC benefits, July WIC food benefits that were lost due to flooding can be replaced by contacting your local WIC office. Ready to Feed formula can also be issued to families under boil water notices. Contact your local WIC office for more information.
If you are a family in need of support or know of a family in need, please do not hesitate to get in touch so that MRPS can try to help. MRPS Community Liaison Nick Conner is ready to help families connect with the support they need to get through this difficult time.
A note about residency: Please know that if you are displaced by the flood and living with another family in a different town than Montpelier or Roxbury, your child is still one of our students. You do not need to register your child in another school. If this is the case for your family, at some point when you are able, get in contact with Nick so that he can make sure you know of all the supports you now qualify for because you have been displaced by flooding, including staying in your home school.
If you have been significantly influenced by this flood and need reliable child care in the next few weeks, please contact Jeff O'Hara at Part 2. They have limited spots available, but will do what they can to accommodate our kids. If you are a family who is displaced from flooding, the district will pay the cost.
Are you interested in working for Part 2 to provide childcare? To enable as many spots available as possible, we're looking to our MHS Solons who are age 16 and above. Want to hang out with some UES Wise Owls for awhile and make some money while helping your community? Contact Jeff O'Hara.
The need for volunteers in Montpelier and Barre is very, very real. If you would like to help our community the best place to put those efforts is to our neighbors and small business owners in town.
Visit the web pages linked below for volunteer opportunities and/or to donate money, food, and goods.
Thank you for the many generous offers we’ve received to help clean up Montpelier High School. At this time it is unsafe and we ask you do not come on campus. Contractors and electricians are currently on site. We will reach out if/when we need volunteers to help at our schools.
